123
by AMs-han
Summary: 1-2-3. In his apartment. Proving to themselves and their audience that however much they've grown - they're still the same people.


strangely enough, i was inspired by Super Marios Wii. particularly the level where the coins are swinging to-and-fro, to the music.

i am pushing my limits on my this side of my writing, for purposes of trying to work with new situations, without too many cliches. somehow, i turn out with these.

Notice:  
1) should be set post-Stars.

**1-2-3**

_1-2-3. In his apartment. Proving to themselves and their audience that however much they've grown - they're still the same people._

* * *

"You're going to think me silly."

"Too late for that."

"Ma-mo-chan!"

She sighs exasperatedly at his smile.

"Okay. _Fine._ You're going to think me cheesy and a romantic."

"...Too late for that, too."

"Ma-mo-chan!"

"Think about it, princess," he grins at her pout of his term of endearment, "you - and the girls, by proxy - are the 'champions', standing 'for Love and Justice.' It doesn't get more cheesy and romantic than that. That, and you girls invade my apartment every Friday night to watch what the Americans call," his voice slightly deepens in English, "chick flicks.

She flushes, marveling silently to herself that his bilingual self will never cease to amaze and charm her.

(And yes. She's not immune to the fact that he had learned, in particular, British English.)

It's even more just undeniably _cool_, to her, when he smoothly switches back and forth, from English to his native Japanese tongue.

"To translate, Usa, shoujo mangas in an American cinematic format."

"Just because we're dancing the waltz, you want to call me princess."

(Change of subjects is normal when they're together. The conversation rarely follows on one tangent. She's a bunny, bouncing from subject to subject. He's the one that has to do the legwork to catch up with her.)

"You_ are_ a princess, Usako."

"Hm," she smiles proudly, "anyway. Stop distracting me!"

"By the way, you just stepped on my foot."

"Hmph," she sticks her tongue out at him, "it's the most action you'll get tonight."

They stop waltzing.

"...Please desist from that talking, Usa. Your brother was very awkward two dinners ago, trying to get me to admit whether or not we-," he coughs, disentangling fingers for a moment to scratch his head awkwardly, "anyway. While I saw how protective he was over his older sister... It wa- it _is_, very...awkward...for me, Usako."

She flushes her own share at the awkwardness.

Awkward is pretty much the only word to describe this particularly awkward matter. Uncomfortable is also a sufficient word.

(And it's perfectly normal for them to hit this certain issue, from time to time. Her brother isn't the first to inquire after their..."status." Their friends unsubtly hint at it - with predictably Minako, Rei, and Haruka the more enthusiastic about it. Not out of interest, though Minako's intentions are a bit questionable, but more out of unsubtle protection; Haruka is more threatening than the other two. And Motoki's even more obvious, with his stuttering and blushes.)

"Anyway!" She chirps energetically, for what seems to be the eleven hundred and tenth time, "I was starting to say so- Oh! Right! How come you don't use the lock on your balcony door? You should use it!"

They waltz.

"Because, Usako," he sighs, "it'd be a little difficult to get back into my own home, with it locked. The fall out would be disastrous, if my neighbors saw Tuxedo Kamen forcing himself into someone's apartment."

"You're such a creature of habit, Ma-mo-baka," she giggles, "You haven't had to be Tuxedo Kamen for a while now, you know."

They keep waltzing.

She pouts and looks up at him, "I don't like it. Makes me feel unsafe. Like...like someone can come in at any time and...and hurt you. And I don't...like that. And shut up - I know you're a lot of floors up, but...but _still_!"

They stop waltzing.

He stares at her. She looks at him, a paradox - in her defiance to his resistance to comply with her demands and yet, meekness at her confession of anxiety.

They begin again as he starts moving his feet, sighing against her silver-golden hair.

"Then I'll start using it."

She smiles brightly up at him and nods, as if a stamp to certify their somewhat mutual agreement over the lock.

They waltz.

"The handle needs to be shaken in order to loosen it up and slide open the door. It's a shabby thing."

"I thought you were rich, Mamo-chan," she teases, "Ami's house doesn't have problems. Except when Mina-chan accidentally scraped the marble floors with the Sword of Ginzuishou..."

She looks pensive and he chuckles, looking past over her head to look at said balcony door.

She smiles again before wincing, "_Ow!_ Mamo-chan! You just stepped on my foot!"

"Grow a little bit taller. Perhaps it would remedy the disproportion of our heights while we're waltzing."

She ignores at how he affectionately rubs her shoulder as a silent apology.

"You haven't grown in these past years, Odango. Petite as ever."

"Ba-ka," she huffs, "I've grown plenty! You just keep growing ridiculously tall-_ER!_ Oowww!"

No. He hadn't stepped on her foot. She stepped on her own foot, hips colliding against the corner of his small bookshelf, and his books falling out from their little wooden home.

(It's okay. He had intended to reorganize his bookshelves anyway. She just did half the work of taking them all out, in one impressive stroke. Call it teamwork.)

He complies silently as she liberates her fingers from his. She whimpers and tentatively rubs her injury, glaring at him for his following words.

"And you're still ridiculously clumsy."

* * *

*ponders how tall mamoru really is* 6'2? 6'3? except, i know someone 6'7, so like... it's all. very strange to me. /ramblemess

as for the protective!Shingo interrogation of Mamoru two nights ago... well. you are more than welcome to think what you like as to the physical aspect of their relationship. _i'm_ personally very much compelled to believe that Usa-chan remains the virgin until the night of her engagement, as is shown in the manga. i dunno why, really. just that. i feel that way. she's innocence incarnate and mamoru would kill himself probably, if he breached his own personal gentleman code of self-control. and haha - i'd so love to see mamoru berating himself... *likes to see him suffer*

anyway. physical aspect of their relationship has never been a huge factor for me - it's there and significant in its own way (the chapters in the manga prove that much). but i like to focus on beyond that - on the more "slice of life" sort of thing. the ups and downs, etc etc.

guh. i analyze too much of their relationship. *flees to other fandoms where i analyze characters instead*

also - isn't it funny that the Japanese and Koreans can learn different accents of English? legitly - you can learn British, or American, or whatever. which is so...strange. such variety!

Muchos Cookies (that are mine!),  
A M I - B A K A - C H A N


End file.
